Discharge mechanism for nail-distributors



April 5, 1932. T L 1,851,980

ljISCHARGE MECHANISM FOR NAIL DISTRIBUTORS iiled Sept. .12, 1929 Patented Apr. 5, 1932 UNITED STATES THOMAS LU'ND, or BEVERLY, MAssAoHUSn'rTS, ASSIGNOR T UNITED sHon MAoHIM ERY CORPORATION, OIE PATERSON, NEW AJERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY DISCHARGE MECHANISM FOR NAIL-DISTRIBUTORS Application filed September 12 1929. Serial No. 392,201.

The present invention relates to means whereby nails or similar fastenings are discharged one by one or group by group from the raceways of nail-distributors, it particularly concerning such organizations in which the nails are supported by their heads in their travel through the distributor, and are reversed in the direction of their advance after leaving the raceways.

Objects of the invention are to maintain the accurate uninterrupted delivery of successive nails or loads of nails by mechanism containing few elements, easily operated and readily maintained in service. These objects I attain by combining with one or more raceways of a nail-distributor, a discharge device which both movesbodily and turns about an axis, and which constantly co-operates with the raceway or raceways to limit the travel of nails therethrough. Preferably, this device is in the form of a roll, with which is associated means for moving it longitudinaL ly of its axis and for oscillating it. By the first or bodily travel, the nails are picked off positively from the raceways, while the succeeding movement efiects their reversal for delivery to conduits without possibility of clogging. Herein I have shown-the oscillation as obtained by means made efiecfi ve in the reciprocating movement. To guard against interference with the separating movement of the discharge device, in which a nail-receiving recess is carried from a position in alinement with a raceway to one side thereof, there is provided at the edge of the recess which moves across the raceway, a curved wall or other cam-surface, which will act to force back the succeeding nail.

The accompanying drawings illustrate particular form of my invention,

Fig. 1 being a perspective view of the discharge-portion of a nail-distributor, parts being. broken away;

Fig. 2, a transverse vertical section through Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3, a partial top plan view of the discharge-roll. V 1

Leading from any desired nail-feeding arrangement are raceways 10, one or more in number, three'being illustrated in the drawings. These raceways may each consistofa pair of parallel inclined bars, thos'evof each pair being spaced from each other at 12 to; give a way through which travel, under the member '18 extending across the lower portions of the raceways, lying in close proximity to them in their concave ends. In the roll, normally alined with each' space 12, is a recess 20. This is shown as segmental (Fig.

2) its lengthalong the chord of the segment v i being suificie'nt to receive the longest nail to be delivered. Its depth, or the space between the periphery and chord, is such that a nail may lie within it clear of the end of the associated raceway. At what is normally the upper-extremity of each recess 20 is a supporting surface 22 for the nail-heads, this surface being in'a depression outside the main recess. Each surface 22 is in substantial alineme'nt with the raceway-surfaces l4. At one edge ofeach recess is a cam-wall 24;, shown as corresponding substantially to a portion of'a cylinder. 'The purpose of this cam-surface will later appear.

'Tobring about the separation-of nails from the raceways and their reversal, the, roll 18 is actuated in two directions, being shiftedlongitudinally of its axis and rotated about said axis. The first'movement may be produced by a lever 26 fulcrumed upon a frame and having, at its forward extremity, a yoke provided with opposite projections 28 entering a circumferential groove 30. in the roll. The opposite end of the lever has a projection 32 lying in the groove of a cam 84ifast upon a shaft 36 intermittently rotated during the operation of the'distributor. The throw produced by the cam 34 is sufficient to move each recess 20 from alinement with its raceway-space 12, bringing'opp'osite said space a portion ofthe cylindrical surface of the roll. Each recess therefore separates from the series above it the contained nail, supporting the succeeding nails of the series upon the adjacent roll-surface. During this movement, each surface 24, contacting with the nail next to the one picked off, cams the former and those resting against it smoothly back along the raceway-space 12, thus preventing inte rference with the travel of the roll. To cause the rotation of the roll, it has formed in its surface a cam-groove 38, which receives the end of a projection 40, appear ing as a screw threaded through a bracket 42 and having a smooth cylindrical portion fitting the groove. One extremity of this groove, or that in which the projection rests during the separation of the terminal nails, is straight and parallel to the axis of the roll. It is therefore without efiect thereon. After the roll has separated the lowest nail ofeach series and closed the ends of the raceways, a curved portion 44 of the groove 38 reaches the projection 40. This, in the continued bodily travel of the roll, compels it to rotate in the direction of the arrow in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. As a result of this, the recesses 20 assume the relation illustrated indotted lines in Fig. 2, their inclination being such that the nails fall, reversed, into conduits 46 in a head-bar 48. Tubes 50, connected to the conduits, lead the thus-delivered load of nails to the desired points, as in the loading mechanism of a. heel-attaching machine.

Outlining the general operation of the. distributing apparatus, nails are delivered con.- tinuously from a source to the raceway-spaces 12, forming therein series resting one against another, thelowest nail of each series entering the recess 20 inthe r011 18 which is alined with the raceway-space. At some time, which may be determined by the operation of the loading mechanism supplied, power is applied to the shaft 36' to cause it to perform its cycle of rotation. This, through the lever 26, moves the roll to the left, as viewed in Fig 1 of the drawings, removing all the terminal nails fromtheir respective series and supporting the succeeding nails upon the unbroken surface of the roll, the camesurfaces 24 forcing back the second nail of each series if this lies within the recess. Now the portion 44 of the cam-groove comes into action and rotates the roll through somewhat more than 90, or suificient to carry the nails contained in the recesses over until they are de- I about an axis in proximity to the raceway and and for turning the device to reverse the separated nails, and conduits into which the reversed nails fall from the discharge device.

3. In a nail-dlstributor, a raceway, a rotatable discharge member provided in its periphery with a recess normally alined with the raceway, said recess having at one edge a cam-surface for engagement with nails in the raceway arranged to force back said nails, and means for moving the discharge member in a direction to carry the cam-surface across the raceway. r V

4. In a nail-distributor, a raceway, a discharge member provided with'a recess normally alined with the raceway, said recess having at one edge a cam-surface for engagement with nails in the raceway, said camsurface extending from within the recess to the periphery of the discharge member, and means for moving the discharge member in a direction to carry the cam-surface across the raceway and for turning the member to deliver the nails from the recess.

5. In a nail-distributor, a raceway, a discharge-roll co-operating with the raceway, and means for reciprocating the roll longitudinally of its axis in nail-retaining co-operation with the raceway and for oscillating said roll.

6. In a nail-distributor, a raceway, dis- C0-operating with the raceway, means for reciprocating the roll longitudinally of its axis and, closing the'raceway by the periphcry of said roll, and means made'effective in such reciprocation for oscillating said roll.

7. In a nail-distributor, a series ofraceways arranged to support nails by their heads, a discharge-roll extending across the ends of the raceways and having'a series of recesses normally alined therewith, there being associated with each recess means for supporting a contained nail by its head, and means for moving the roll to separate a load of nails from the raceways and to reverse said nails.

8. In a naildistributor, a series of raceways arranged to support nails by their heads, a discharge-roll extending across the ends of the raceways and having a series of recesses normally alined therewith, there being associated with each recess means for supporting a contained nail by its head, means for reciprocating the roll to separate from the raceways a load of nails contained in the charge-roll provided with a recess normally 1 recesses, and means for oscillating the roll to deliver the nails in reversed relation.

9. In a nail-distributor, a series of raceways arranged to support nails by their heads, a discharge-roll extending across the ends of the raceways and having a series of recesses normally alined therewith, there being associated with each recess means for supporting a contained nail by its head, a lever arranged to reciprocate the roll, and a cam arranged to oscillate sald roll.

10. In a nail-distributor, a series of raceways arranged to support nails by their heads, a discharge-roll extending across the ends of the raceways and having a series of recesses normally alined therewith, there being associated with each recess means for supporting a nail received from the corresponding raceway and a curved wall arranged to force back the succeeding nail in said raceway, and means for moving the roll to deliver the nails from the recesses;

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.- THOMAS LUND. 

